Sam Blakeman is keen to get a new pair of glasses that will make him look like Clark Kent. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s Roy Cropper teaching Sam the Ponziani chess opening, named after the 18th Century Italian polymathic superman Domenico Lorenzo Ponziani. Nick Tilsley thinks it sounds like something out of Lewis Carroll’s nonsense poem Jabberwocky, from his 1871 novel Through The Looking Glass.
Glenda Shuttleworth is reminiscing about singing a Judy Garland medley when she worked on the cruise ships. No doubt Glenda also bashed out a few hits from Eurovision, which gets a mention when Todd Grimshaw unveils an ancient toasted sandwich maker he says dates back to when the United Kingdom last won the song contest. That means the timeworn gadget is celebrating its silver anniversary, since the most recent UK success was Love Shine A Light by Katrina And The Waves back in 1997.
Tracy McDonald wants to be left alone with her thoughts at The Rovers, so she’s none too pleased when Tim Metcalfe asks if the seat next to her is taken. The acid-tongued florist replies sarcastically that her dead gran Blanche is sitting there, telling her all about the Knit And Natter club she has in heaven ‘with Princess Di, Tommy Cooper and Whitney Houston’. Tracy also refers to herself, Blanche, her late mum Deirdre and her daughter Amy as The Golden Girls, after the classic US sitcom. Meanwhile, at Tyrone Dobbs and Fiz Stape’s place the episode comes full circle when they see a video on social media of Tyrone slapping author Rory McDowd, complete with a comicbook ‘Kapow!’ that would have made Superman proud.
Coronation Street episode 10789/90. Originally aired 7th Nov 2022.
